How much do optometrists make in 2026?
Optometrists earn a national median of $136,570 a year ($65.66 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-1041). The bottom 10% earn about $74,870 and the top 10% reach $202,180. The wide band reflects business model rather than clinical difference: employed associates in corporate retail and commercial settings sit in the lower half, hospital, VA and multi-specialty medical employment sits near the median, and practice owners occupy the top decile because they keep the margin on optical dispensing and medical eye care alongside their professional fee. Scope of practice is also set state by state, and states permitting more therapeutic and laser procedures support higher medical billing. Employment is projected to grow 8% through 2034 with roughly 2,400 openings a year. → Full optometrist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $136,570 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Optometrists earn a national median $136,570/yr ($65.66/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1041); the P10 to P90 range is $74,870 to $202,180.
- Business model drives the range: employed associates sit in the lower half, hospital and VA posts near the median, and practice owners in the top decile near $202,180.
- State scope of practice matters commercially — states permitting broader therapeutic and laser procedures let an optometrist bill more medical care rather than only refractive care.
- BLS projects 8% growth through 2034 with roughly 2,400 openings a year, driven by an ageing population's cataract, glaucoma and diabetic eye disease burden.
US Optometrist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do optometrists earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-1041; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1041, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an optometrist earn at each career stage?
Optometry has one licence whose scope varies by state, so the stages below follow employment model and ownership. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 29-1041.
By State
Which states pay optometrists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. State scope of practice is the more consequential variable here: what an optometrist may prescribe, inject or perform differs materially by state, and wider scope means more billable medical care per patient.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($157,060), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
optometrist pay by state — all 9 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay optometrists the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. They are wage-level estimates, not BLS metropolitan-area observations, and they do not reflect optical dispensing margin.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an optometrist’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does optometrist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Optometrists sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify optometrist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an optometrist actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Optometrist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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